When Silence Isn't Enough
by JaydenNara
Summary: Naruto always understood Sasuke's silence for what it was. Sometimes that isn't enough though. He has waited a long time to hear those three little words from Sasuke, but maybe three years is just too long to wait. Sequel to 'Silence Says Everything'


**READ THE A/N at the bottom.  
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**Hey everyone! I know I took a short break from writing, but I really needed it, and as I'm typing, I'm still sick, but I decided to post something anyway. **

**This story can stand on it's own, but it technically is the sequel to Silence Says Everything.  
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**Oh, and my husband edited this for me again, cool right? Then I had my new beta moodysavage look at it, so a round of applause for them!**

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><p><strong>When Silence Isn't Enough<strong>

A loud, frustrated sigh filled the otherwise silent, moonlit bedroom of the Uchiha residence. Sasuke glanced over to the bedside and growled before staring back up at the ceiling and rubbing his tired eyes. He looked back to the clock hoping that it had magically changed, but it continued to mock him with the soft red glow of three thirty. One would think that after two weeks of no rest, a persons' body would eventually give in to its fatigue, but apparently that was not the case.

It all started with a mission. One simple escort mission that had gone horribly awry and nearly cost two shinobi everything.

Separated from the rest of their team, Naruto and Sasuke fought side by side, never needing to speak, always knowing the others' mind and response. Naruto was the first to notice the imminent danger and sprang into action without regard for his own safety, as was his way. When the Sharingan eyes finally perceived the attack that would no doubt end his life, Sasuke watched in horror as the blond shinobi took the hit.

Had Uzumaki Naruto been any other person, he would have died instantly.

That dark day, Uchiha Sasuke held his dying lover in his arms for hours with no hint of rescue, help being miles away fighting their own battle. It was then that Sasuke was struck with the devastating truth that at any time he could lose the one thing that mattered to him in life, and he would be left alone - again.

For the first time in their two year relationship, the three words Naruto longed to hear, but hadn't been heard from the raven since he was a child, spilled from the Uchiha's lips in a mantra as he whispered and pleaded to an unconscious Naruto. It was his most fervent wish to be able to say those words to his lover again and for his blond moron to hear.

Ten months later, the last Uchiha had yet to tell his boyfriend how he felt despite his best efforts, his pride standing in his way every time. Though Naruto had never said anything, Sasuke knew it hurt him deeply that he had never uttered those three words to him. He would have to be blind not to notice the disappointed looks, and wistful sighs when the perfect moment came and went.

Rolling onto his side, the aggravated Uchiha punched the empty space on the mattress beside him, tempted to chidori a hole where the younger man should be. Over the last few months it had become commonplace for Sasuke to be plagued with nightmares of losing his best friend, waking in a cold sweat with a sense of dread at the empty space at his side.

Unfortunately the Uchiha in him prevented him from going to his idiot – or anyone else – for help, but he knew Naruto had already noticed; it was hard not to see the silent adjustments Naruto had made to their everyday life solely for the Uchiha's piece of mind. The sudden dependency of having Naruto's comforting warmth in the bed with him was never spoken of, but was the reason Sasuke had moved the blond in.

Sasuke didn't know, but the oblivious shinobi hadn't even clued in to his lovers' distress until approached by a concerned Sakura. Their former teammate noticed the way Sasuke seemed haunted and distant when his boyfriend was on missions overnight, almost looking like the living dead after Naruto had been gone for an extended period of time.

After a few days of spying, the blond had taken immediate action after witnessing the heartbreaking sight of his raven waking up alone in a panic. Never wanting to see the one person he loved with all his heart look so pained again, Naruto made a conscious effort to be home every night, and check in with the sharingan wielder daily when he was away on a mission, if circumstances allowed.

Shifting to lay on his stomach, a pale arm reached out, resting where the warm tan body of his lover should be. "Come home Naruto," he whispered. "Please, just come home."

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><p>Uzumaki Naruto crept blindly through the darkened apartment, following the path burned into his memory from hundreds of nights of use, never more thankful for his boyfriends' OCD tendencies towards cleanliness. Opening the door silently with practiced ease, his cerulean blue eyes were immediately drawn to the large bed across the moonlit room, large grin spreading over his whiskered face.<p>

The worn out body of the young shinobi hummed in anticipation as he crossed the few steps to the heavenly object, and fell onto the waiting mattress. Releasing a grateful sigh of relief, and sinking down into the soft pillow top, he slowly let the stress of his last mission drain from his body. He couldn't wait until he was Hokage and would never have to be away again for such extended periods of time.

Just as he was drifting off, there was a sharp pain in his side, and the bed beneath him disappeared. He hit the floor with a loud crash, bruising his already battered body further. Springing to his feet, a tan finger pointed accusingly at the second body already occupying the dark red sheets.

"Bastard!" he shouted angrily, his body painfully protesting the sudden movement. "I've been gone for two gruelling weeks, putting myself through hell, and busting my ass to get home early because I knew you wouldn't be sleeping though the night without me here, and this is how you greet me? Pushing me out of _our_ bed when all I want to do is pass out?"

Sasuke stiffened at the angry blonds' words. He always knew that Naruto was aware of his sudden dependency, but he had always been grateful the blond had kept it to himself and never mentioned the subject to him. "Do you really think I want those hideous, blood encrusted scraps of cloth you call clothing in _my_ nice clean bed, moron?" the raven haired bastard said snidely, wrinkling his nose as if the blond was giving off a foul odour.

"_Our_ bed, asshole," Naruto corrected, stomping his foot childishly.

Snorting, Sasuke propped himself up on his elbows. "You moved into my apartment, therefore it's _my_ bed," he said calmly, knowing the comment would serve to rile his lover up further. He could practically hear the blond grinding his teeth as the anger rolled off the jounin in waves.

"I came home from a mission one day to find my apartment empty, a for rent sign in the window, and a note from you saying you'd moved my stuff to our place, and you'd see me at home," the Uzumaki ranted, his body trembling with barely contained fury.

"Idiot," muttered Sasuke, rolling his eyes and allowing his body to fall back to the bed. He'd heard this rant a million times, and then some.

"When I asked my landlady what happened, she told me my _gorgeous_ boyfriend," he said sarcastically, doing his imitation of one of the swooning fan girls that followed the Uchiha around, complete with clasped hands, and fluttering eyelashes. "Informed her that I was moving out, and had packed everything up the week before," he said, continuing his tirade and waving his arms in the arms wildly. "Then she asked for my key back. So don't you dare 'idiot' me you bastard," he snarled angrily, pointing his finger at the Uchiha lying in the bed calmly."You didn't leave me much choice, now did you?

Hn." Thin delicate fingers threaded together, resting on the slowly rising and falling chest of the stoic, raven haired man. The dark eyes fluttered shut, effectively ignoring the blond jounin throwing a tantrum in the middle of their bedroom.

Naruto scowled at his so called lovers' callous attitude. This was not the homecoming he had wanted, but it was one he should have expected and even prepared for.

Growling under his breath, Naruto turned his back on his infuriating boyfriend, and stormed into the bathroom connected to their bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Now fully awake, he began to strip the ruined clothing from his sore body, leaving them in a heap on the floor – a present for Sasuke the next morning. A warm relaxing shower was exactly what he had needed, and he moaned in pleasure as his muscles unknotted and relaxed under the hot spray.

"Stupid selfish prick," he muttered, scrubbing the grime and blood from his tan skin. "Has the nerve to push me out." The bar of soap was angrily slammed back down in the holder. "After everything I do for him." Slender fingers worked the shampoo through the dirt encrusted blond locks, slowly building up a lather. "Jerk," he gritted out." After rinsing every bit of soap off his body, he shut the water off and snatched a clean towel off the rack, drying himself off quickly. He paused in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection. "He might be an ass," the blond mumbled. "But I still love him."

Clad only in boxers, Naruto made his way back into the bedroom to find Sasuke exactly where he had left him. Raven hair spilled over the red pillow, the bangs framing the beautiful pale face. The bare chest and abs seemingly carved of marble were faintly luminous in the pale moonlight, and he could easily see Sasuke's long shapely body outlined under the thin sheet.

Dark onyx eyes flickered open, impassively watching him across the room. Naruto's heart broke at the dark bags, and the haunted look of his lover, the anger he felt melting away, replaced with concern for the man.

"Hn, hurry up dobe."

The anger was back.

Stalking across the room, Naruto climbed into bed, ignoring the snooty bastard. He turned his back to the other, clenching his eyes shut and drawing deep, calming breaths.

Sasuke stared at the large expanse of tan skin exposed to him. His fingers were itching to reach the short distance between them, and glide over the smooth caramel coloured back, knowing how the muscles would ripple beneath his fingers.

With an internal sigh, Sasuke let his shoulders slump and followed his lovers' example, turning away from the blond, and leaving Naruto to silently seethe on his side of the bed. He'd gone too far, and he knew it. It had been weeks since those tan arms had wrapped around his thin frame and held him close as he slept peacefully.

During the period the Uzumaki had been gone, nightmares had plagued his mind, and he spent many a restless night lying awake pleading with Kami-sama that his blond moron would return to him, and now that he was home, he still failed to find the relief he so desperately sought. Instead of gathering the battered and bruised body of his lover in his arms like he craved, he had cruelly pushed the man out of their bed. As an Uchiha, he would never apologize, the words weren't in his vocabulary, but now he was paying the price for it. He would sleep, but the comforting embrace would be missing, and his subconscious would know.

Feeling the other shinobi move, Naruto opened his eyes. He knew Sasuke was sorry, he always was, the silence said everything, but sometimes he wished the Uchiha would say it, even if just once.

A sudden longing filled the blonde's heart. It had been almost three years since that night in Suna when Naruto braved all and spilled his heart to his best friend, and yet, Sasuke still hadn't said those three little words to him, even after everything they had been through. Deep down, Naruto knew Sasuke loved him. It didn't need to be said, it was shown in every soft smile, lingering touch, or longing look, but he still wanted to hear it spill from those perfect pink lips.

The bed shifted again as Sasuke sat up and leaned back against the headboard. Biting his lip, and listening to the slow steady breathing as he watched his lover drifting off to sleep.

Naruto could feel the dark eyes watching him. "If you have something to say, then say it," he muttered into his pillow. He knew what he wanted to hear, but there was a million and one chance of that.

A heavy silence hung over them, and Naruto settled in again, understanding Sasuke's silent plea, but wanting nothing more than to sleep.

"I love you."

Naruto bolted upright in the bed, turning to face the embarrassed Uchiha. "What did you just say?" he gasped in surprise.

The lightly flushed face frowned, trying to cover up his embarrassment. "I am not saying it again," he snapped irritably. "If you missed it, that's your problem." He made the mistake of crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. It was a pout, but he'd later deny it.

Seeing the raven leave himself wide open, Naruto tackled Sasuke to the bed. "It was worth a try," he chuckled, nuzzling the pale throat. He pulled the Uchiha closer, so full of joy at the sudden and unexpected confession. "You have no idea how happy you just made me Sasuke," he whispered. "Thank you."

"I am glad you're happy and all," came the Uchiha's muffled reply as the restrained man struggled against the suffocating hold. "But can you stop smothering me?"

"Right, sorry," the blond apologized, laughing at the raven gasping for air.

"Idiot."

Lying back down, Naruto tugged Sasuke down to his side. "By the way," the Uzumaki whispered softly, reaching out to gently stroke a pale cheek. "I love you too."

"Hn."Sasuke rolled over onto his side, facing away from his grinning lover, hiding the small smile gracing his own lips. "I know." He felt strong arms wind around his waist, pulling him back against the hard chest. Soft lips pressed against his neck, nipping lightly.

"You're a bastard."

"I know that too," the raven murmured, falling into a peaceful slumber in the safety of his lovers arms.

One day Sasuke would need to face his fears, but for now he was content with what he had. After all, one day Naruto would be Hokage, and Sasuke would be his ANBU guard; never one without the other.

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><p><strong>Well, that's that. Please review and let me know what you think, cause honestly, I didn't want to post this, but several people asked for a sequel. So REVIEW!<strong>

**New chapter of This is Not a Game coming soon, promise! Next week if I have my way. Also, big news for those who don't know. I recently started on a collab. with AngelTalion, so look for that, should be out within a few weeks.**

**Drop a line, I love hearing from you all! Review!**


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